Institute for Advanced Professional Learning

Kids First was established with the goal of uniting professionals from various fields—especially legal and mental health—to collaborate towards a shared objective: enhancing the lives of children by reducing their exposure to conflict during their parents' divorce and separation. 

The Kids First Center is excited to introduce the Kids First Institute for Professional Learning. Throughout the year, the Institute will explore important topics for professionals supporting families with children raised by separated parents. This initiative includes four 2-hour webinars and a culminating in-person conference in Fall 2025, gathering experts to enhance co-parenting practices across various disciplines.

  2024-2025 Institute: Reimagining Parallel Parenting

The theme for the 2024/2025 Institute is "Reimagining Parallel Parenting." Many professionals are concerned that "Parallel Parenting" contradicts shared parenting principles by limiting parental interaction, leading them to question its benefits for children and its alignment with public policies supporting shared parenting. They wonder if it represents a regression from the legal ideal of shared parenting. However, in certain situations—such as high-conflict cases or those involving abuse—a parallel parenting plan that allocates parental rights may be the most effective approach. In Maine, there is currently no shared definition or standardized framework for "parallel parenting," often resulting in ad hoc solutions by professionals and judicial officers. 

The theme of parallel parenting encourages us to consider whether emphasizing the "best interest of the family" could lead to more favorable outcomes for children experiencing divorce and separation compared to focusing exclusively on the "best interest of the child." Parenting plans are crafted to balance the interests—and, more broadly, the constitutional rights—of parents, aiming to provide structure and stability to family systems. These plans blend legal and emotional health principles to advance the state’s goal of protecting children from conflict and fostering a more harmonious community for everyone.    

We will evaluate the "one-size-fits-all" approach to determine whether it systematically overlooks some children, preventing them from having the best possible environment to thrive. Reevaluating parallel parenting might offer a new path to prioritizing children's needs and keeping kids first. 

Karen specializes in two areas: working with adolescents facing co-occurring disorders and co-parenting coaching. She has experience in residential settings with teens and young adults who have experienced trauma, using motivational interviewing and authenticity to build therapeutic relationships. Additionally, as a trained mediator, she employs a directive approach in co-parenting coaching, focusing on communication and conflict resolution to help divorced or separated parents establish respectful new relationships.

  Moderators

     Karen MacDonald, LCSW

Karen MacDonald is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist based in Gorham, Maine. She is dedicated to creating a non-judgmental space for individuals to heal and grow. Her strengths-based practice employs various evidence-based modalities to empower clients, emphasizing that they are the experts of their own lives. 

Karen specializes in two areas: working with adolescents facing co-occurring disorders and co-parenting coaching. She has experience in residential settings with teens and young adults who have experienced trauma, using motivational interviewing and authenticity to build therapeutic relationships. Additionally, as a trained mediator, she employs a directive approach in co-parenting coaching, focusing on communication and conflict resolution to help divorced or separated parents establish respectful new relationships.

Karen earned her MSW from the University of Southern Maine School of Social Work.

Karen facilitates the First Step: Foundations in Co-Parenting, the Next Step, ICOPE, and Kids First for Kids! at the Kids First Center. 

More about Ms. MacDonald is found at Psychology Today. 

   Christopher Leddy, Esq.

Christopher Leddy is an attorney with Ainsworth, Thelin & Raftice in South Portland, Maine.  Having started his Family Law and Criminal Defense practice with ATR in 2010, Chris is a regular speaker at family law and guardian seminars throughout Maine and teaches classes at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to police cadets.  The early years of his legal career were spent in service to the State of Maine as an Assistant District Attorney in Cumberland County, and with the Attorney General’s office in the Child Protective Division.  He became a rostered Guardian Ad Litem in 2004 and was appointed to the initial Guardian Ad Litem Review board by the Law Court in 2015.  

Attorney Leddy earned his JD from the University of Maine School of Law in 1996 and appears in Maine courts from Bangor to York.    

More about Attorney Leddy at the  Ainsworth Thelin & Raftice website.

   Fall Conference - In Person

Monday, October 20, 2025: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (ET)

Innovative Plans. Stronger Families. Practical Tools for Parallel Parenting Success.

The Kids First Center invites professionals from across Maine to join us for a full-day conference on parallel parenting, a groundbreaking approach to supporting families navigating divorce and conflict. Building on a year of research, clinical insights, and legal perspectives, this event brings together nationally and internationally recognized experts to share practical strategies for helping families thrive when traditional coparenting is not possible.

Join us at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland, ME on October 20, 2025, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, this conference will feature dynamic presentations, interactive workshops, and collaborative case studies, giving participants hands-on experience designing parallel parenting plans that reflect best practices and address real-world challenges. The day will conclude with a panel of judges, clinicians, and coparenting specialists who will explore the practical application of these strategies in professional practice. 

CLE and CEU credits will be available, and the event is proudly sponsored by Our Family Wizard.

Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your expertise, connect with colleagues across disciplines, and discover innovative tools to better support children and families in transition.

 $150 per person, Continental breakfast and lunch provided.

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